When the nouveau riche ran wild in the Manhattan of the 1980s, Tom Wolfe marked the moment and set the whole scene ablaze with his debut novel, Bonfire of the Vanities.
He coined the term ‘stratusphere’ and ‘the right stuff’. He broke down barriers in journalism, becoming personally involved in his stories.
I liked his writing because it captured society at a particular moment in time, sparing no detail and taking no prisoners.
I admired him because he did not use the internet. I envied his white suits, worn year round, and his high shirt collars. (His wife mentioned, years ago, that he dressed this way almost daily, whether he was going out or not. He had no concept, she said, of ‘casual.’)
He wrote. He left his mark. Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.
- BGT